On what day of the week does Christmas fall this year?
It may only be 143 days away – who’s counting? – but South Africans will no doubt have already cast their eye ahead to when Christmas and Boxing Day (Day of…
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It may only be 143 days away – who’s counting? – but South Africans will no doubt have already cast their eye ahead to when Christmas and Boxing Day (Day of Goodwill) fall in 2026.
And the answer is there’s both good and bad news.
Christmas, 25 December, will fall on a Friday, giving South Africans the last long weekend of the year.
The bad news is that Boxing Day will fall on Saturday, 26 December, meaning it’s ‘lost’ as a public holiday.
The Public Holidays Act (Act No 36 of 1994) determines that whenever any public holiday falls on a Sunday, the Monday following it will also be a public holiday.
However, for public holidays that fall on a Saturday, it’s just a ‘normal’ weekend day.
Of course, the fewer days off, the better for business in the country.
Diarise the remaining public holidays in 2026 and plan your vacations accordingly!
9 August (Sunday) – National Women’s Day
10 August (Monday) – Public holiday observed for National Women’s Day
24 September (Thursday) – Heritage Day
4 November (Wednesday) – Local Government Elections
16 December (Wednesday) – Day of Reconciliation
25 December (Friday) – Christmas Day
26 December (Saturday) – Day of Goodwill
Average compared to other countries
South Africa typically has 12 public holidays each year, placing it close to the global average of 11.
Many European countries observe between 10 and 14 public holidays annually, while the United Kingdom has just eight.
At the other end of the scale, Myanmar has around 30 public holidays each year, followed by Sri Lanka (29), Iran (27), India (21) and China (17).
Which is your favourite public holiday of the year?
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